The Browns signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts on Monday, marking their first official action as they launch their offseason.
The Browns’ season ended prematurely on Saturday night with a 45-14 Wid Card loss to the Texans. As a result, they are now officially in the offseason. On Monday, the organization signed nine players to reserve/futures contracts, marking their first official offseason actions.
WR Jaelon Darden
CB Vincent Gray (x)
RB Kelly Jr.
Mitchell-Paden TE Zaire x
T Justin Murray x
DE Lonnie Phelps x
LB Charlie Thomas, III, x
DE Isaiah Thomas
DT Chris Williams
Players who were on Cleveland’s practice squad at the end of the season make up the whole list of signees. They will now rejoin the Browns when they begin offseason training later in the spring.
Phelps and Thomas III, two rookies from that group, signed as undrafted free agents with the Browns in the previous season. The only player selected by the Brows was Thomas, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. The only other two players who were selected in the draft were Darden (fourth round) and Kelly Jr. (sixth round), who were selected by the Buccaneers and Rams, respectively.
At the conclusion of the regular season, teams have the option to sign any player who isn’t on the active roster to a reserve or futures contract. Teams typically employ this technique to lock up young players who they believe have the potential to cause trouble in camp come August, whether they are part of their own practice squad or not.
These contracts go into effect on March 13, 2024, the first day of the new league year, when rosters officially increase to ninety players for the offseason. Following that, teams will bring their 90-man rosters to training camp the following summer.
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